Of Arabians and Friesian Appaloosas
by Symphonic Fantasia
Summary: Bob has always loved Gwen. She was his life and his sunshine. His day wasn't the same if he couldn't see her smile. Ever since they were kids it has been this way and Bob wouldn't trade it for the world. And the descendant through their relationship was never an easy one. HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's Rival Couples Challenge.
1. First Impressions

**Author's Note: I seem to be having a problem getting Lyla ready. Some of the chapters are getting harder and harder for me to get it done so I'll work on this for now! I have a couple of chapters for these two so I might as well show them to you guys.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

When Bob first met Gwen, she was afraid of practically every animal on the ranch. If a horse wanted to nuzzle her, she'd freeze up and run away from the fence. If a cow just wanted to say "hi" it was the same result. Even the family's old dog terrified her a bit! It was humorous but at the same time, the boy found it to be cute. He actually made it his goal to try and protect her from the animals whenever she needed him. But being a scrawny boy himself, it was really hard to do so, especially when the animals loved him as much as he loved them.

But that was years ago and now things had changed. Gwen had grown up into a beautiful young woman who was able to handle things on her own on the ranch. But Bob's feelings never changed for her.


	2. Friendship

**Author's Note: Poor Bob. Being friendzoned by Gwen. ;A;  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

"Hey, Bob! How's it going?" Gwen questioned, patting Bob's shoulder lightly.

Bob jumped at the sudden greeting, his face flushing red immediately when he saw who it was. "O-oh, hey, Gwennie. Not much... You?"

"Same thing. Just came to check on Millie real quick then head back home for Joe's birthday brunch. That guy. Always wanting pancakes 24/7! Well, later!"

The muscular rancher mumbled lightly, watching as the bouncy blonde walked over to the gray horse. He felt strange when she was around. His heart would beat rapidly. His hands would get all sweaty and he would automatically be nervous. He didn't understand any of it. It happened every time she was around. That wasn't normal for friends, was it? It shouldn't be. They were just friends, after all. Just friends.

And just friends didn't feel these feelings for each other. No matter what the case may be.


	3. Siblings

**Author's Note: Dudes, I smell cotton candy. Delicious cotton candy. I want some now. Maybe Bob can give some to Gwen. :I  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

Gwen and Bob's relationship was of the sibling kind. He was always protective of her just like she was protective of him. They took care of each other just like they were kids. Shared secrets that they wouldn't tell anyone. Hell, when they were little they even use to have sleepovers! Although, that small thing had to end once they were older and Gwen started...developing. All these years together and not once has anything been wrong with them. They never fought or anything. They were as close as non-related siblings could be. It honestly made their friendship stronger!

...But if their relationship was of siblings, why did Bob feel like she was the most beautiful thing in the world? Why did his heart beat at a faster pace than usual? Why did his face feel hot whenever she was around?

These weren't normal sibling feelings. But then what were they?


	4. Crush

**Author's Note: I'm almost done stocking up on Lyla drabbles and I'm running a tad out of these for Bob and Gwen. Might go back and forth between them.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

By Summer, Bob was starting to worry himself. These feelings towards Gwen never changed. They stayed there and grew with each moment he was with her. Although Bob was in his mid-twenties, he couldn't come up with a good explanation on why he was feeling the way he was. He couldn't talk to Gwen about it. He had to go to someone who would know. And what better way to ask what he was feeling for a girl than a girl?

Lyla was the only one he could trust and once Thursday came, he ran to her shop and explained everything in the most details that he could without revealing names. The pinkette gave him a smile and said it in the most bluntest but kindest way possible that he had a crush.

Him? Crush on Gwen?. ...It all made sense that day. He obviously has a _crush_ on Gwen!


	5. Mind Games

**Author's Note: Yeah, I'm totally out of drabbles for these two for a while. At least for a while. I could post Lyla again... Blah.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

Bob was honestly afraid of the city girls that he had heard about from Gwen or on TV. They seemed manipulative and horrible and played mind games on those they cared about. When he would go into the city with his father or mother to pick up Gwen, he was wary and stayed away from any female that paid him any attention. Why risk getting into their mind games even by a minute?

When he saw Gwen, he always felt relieved. He was glad that there was a girl who lived in the city that wouldn't pull him through any mind games. But as he grew older, he started to think differently. What if she had been playing mind games with him? Since they were kids and even as they grew? Was she just pulling him along?

Bob feared Gwen hurting him more than someone playing mind games on him.


	6. Fairytale

******Author's Note: Let's give Lyla a break and work on these two. God, I'm tired, guys.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

Since he was young, Bob believed that he could live in a fairytale. That him and Gwen would always remain close. That she would always come see him just as she came back to the valley. That she would only have eyes for him alone just like he had eyes for only her. That they would get married one day and have a ranch of their own. It was his dream to one day make this a reality.

But this was real life. Gwen didn't have eyes only for him and he felt their relationship strain and thin out. He knew he couldn't keep it up for long and that one day, Gwen would slip away from him. He realized that when he was sixteen and it broke his heart.

Being older now, and still feeling the strain and distance in their friendship, he wished could get that fairytale back.


	7. Old

**Author's Note: I actually have a lot of these and none of Lyla. Whoops.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

Maybe he was too old for Gwen. There was a age gap between them that wasn't very noticeable but it was enough for people to ask questions if they spotted it. Maybe someone in the city did and started teasing her about it. She had a history of being teased in the past and it was possible that someone started it again. Bob wouldn't have wanted that so he hoped that it wasn't the case.

But did she think he was too old for her? Was that why she drifted away from him? Bob thought of these questions every day and they were relentless when he was trying to sleep. If a little problem existed in his friendship with her, he would eventually find it and think about it constantly.

Bob hoped that it wasn't because of how old he was. If it was, he wouldn't know what to do.


	8. Rival

**Author's Note: I actually have a lot of these and none of Lyla. Whoops.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

Bob would always look at Toy with jealously. He was almost always around Gwen. He was always running around so eventually, he would run into her. He hated it the most when he saw her on Tuesdays. On Tuesdays were the days that Gwen visited Millie from morning until noon. Bob would be forced to watch as Toy talked to her and make her laugh and smile. He didn't hesitate to bring her a gift everyday; a very berry or some other type of fruit that everyone knew Gwen loved.

He didn't want to be jealous though. To be jealous meant that he had feelings for Gwen. That was something he wanted to deny for as long as he could. He feared it would scare Gwen away and he didn't want that.

So, he kept to himself, unconsciously letting the jealously consume him with every minute Toy spent with Gwen.


	9. Shun

**Author's Note: I actually have a lot of these and none of Lyla. Whoops.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

There were days where Gwen would shun him and those days hurt the most. She always made sure to avoid him when she went to the ranch. Even when he went to the shop himself after a few drinks at Moonlight Cafe, she avoided him. Woody told him to not worry about it and that it was just a phase. It didn't stop Bob from worrying about it though. There he was, waiting for the girl of his dreams to talk to him but she avoided him like he was the plague.

His heart broke. He felt like he was being torn apart. His throat closed up whenever he saw her come and leave the ranch without even saying goodbye. Tim always told him to go up to her on his own but he couldn't. If Bob had done something wrong (anything wrong at all), Gwen deserved to shun him.


	10. Fight

******Author's Note: Running out of these and my muse for writing has totally slacked.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

"What?!"

Bob flinched. Somhow, he felt like he said the wrong thing. "I said, it seems like I got myself some competition now." He was, of course, referring to Toy. He was spending so much time with her, more than Bob ever did nowadays, so he had to say it.

"Why would you say something like that?" Gwen snapped, glaring at the much taller man.

"Well...it's true." Although his voice was strong and sure, he was worried and scared inside. He had never seen Gwen this angry. At least, not to him. To Joe or Kurt, but never him. It was different. Their eyes locked for what seemed like hours until she finally looked away, giving him her back.

"You're such a jerk..."

His heart broke at this. He reached a hand out to her as she ran away. They just had their first fight.


	11. Annoyance

**********Author's Note: Doing this everyday is suffering.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

Lately, Gwen had been annoyed by everyone and everything, but she hit it well. She was annoyed by her family, by the villagers, and most of all by Funland. They loomed over them, wanting them to leave their homes and weren't making anything easy for them. She just wanted to punch them in their faces and leave it at that. She had to find solitude from anywhere that wasn't anywhere near them and their headquarters.

Unfortunately, she couldn't find peace no matter where she went. She usually found Brownie Farm solitude from it all but with Bob the way he was, she couldn't find peace there. Bob was affectionate and tried to talk to her at all the wrong moments. It was like he couldn't read her anymore, something that he could do since they were kids.

It was sad that one of your closest friends was a biggest annoyance.


	12. Love

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

When they were younger, she knew she loved Bob. They were inseparable. They went everywhere together and they did almost everything together as well. It was no wonder she agreed to that promise when they were so young. Unfortunately, as she grew older and wiser, she had lost that love she felt for Bob. A love of one day marrying him turned into a love that she could only feel for a brother.

Bob hadn't changed though as they grew up. Even as they grew older, Bob continued to love her as much as he did when they were kids. It almost made her feel uncomfortable but she knew it was her own fault. She should say something to tell him the truth; that she no longer felt anything for him. She couldn't though. She didn't have the heart.

It seemed she would have to deal with his "love".


	13. Please?

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

"Gwen, please talk to me."

"Bob, please stop!"

"Please?"

Gwen groaned in frustration as she buried her face into Millies mane. She had come to Brownie Ranch on a Thursday only to grab her horse and ride off. She needed to let her frustrations out and riding was the only way to do it. "No, Bob. I'm not in the mood."

"Gwen... Please..."

She knew that by the end of this conversation, "please" was going to be the word she hated the most. It went on for a few more minutes before she pulled herself onto her horses back and galloped off. Gwen could hear Bob yelling after her, saying the word "please" over and over again. Right now, he seemed so selfish to her.

What about her words? What about her saying "please" to him? Why didn't he listen to her?


	14. Act

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

She could always act like she loved him. That would be playing with his emotions but it could get him off her back. It was cruel, but she needed relief from him. At the same time, faking her emotions and love for him could make it worse. No matter what she did, she was going to always have Bob on her back about what they meant to one another. Telling the truth didn't work and neither would acting. She was stuck with Bob and his overwhelming emotions.

For now, Gwen would have to act like she hated him. To act like he wasn't important to her, no matter how much it hurt them both. Gwen cared for Bob and she wouldn't deny that. She just didn't care for him as intensely as he did for her.

Acting wouldn't work and neither would telling the truth. She was truly screwed here.


	15. Jealous

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

When she was younger, Gwen remembered being quite jealous of the people who would take Bobs attention away from her. Even if it was Lyla taking care of an injury he received while playing. She didn't like it. She wanted him all for herself. It had been such a long time ago that she had almost forgotten it.

Things had changed now, though. She wasn't attached to Bob anymore. No one made her feel jealous that they were taking his attention away from her. Lyla brought it up sometimes on how Gwen was around Bob. Always wanting to be by his side and yelling at any girl who got too close to him.

That was the past. No longer did Gwen feel the need to mark her territory or let jealously overcome her. If only Bob could learn that and maybe even lose his affections for her along the way.


	16. Perfect

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

She knew that in Bobs eyes, she was perfect. From her personality, to her talents, and to her looks. There wasn't a moment when they saw each other that he didn't point it out. He did it when they were kids and he continued to do it even as they grew older. When she was younger, she enjoyed it. As she grew, though, she couldn't stand it.

Gwen felt like he was lying to her. She didn't see herself as perfect. She was as imperfect as everyone around her. She was loud and she could be mean. She was brash and didn't always think about her actions carefully before performing them. So how could she be perfect when she was far from it? She didn't understand it and she didn't understand him whenever he said it.

Gwen wasn't perfect. She knew this. She hoped that Bob would see it, too.


	17. Gift

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

"Gwen! Bob dropped this off!"

Gwen looked up from cooking dinner as her grandfather walked over to her, carrying a wrapped box. The wrapping was clumsy which was a clear sign that it was from Bob. He always wrapped his own presents and could barely fold a paper neatly. Taking the box, she walked to the table and peeled apart the wrapping paper to reveal a box. Opening it showed her the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen: a wonderful ruby with a horse carved into it. Could Bob have made it? It wasn't possible but maybe.

"That's a beautiful gift," Woody commented.

"Yeah... It is." Gifts were something that Bob gave often to Gwen. Once a week or once a month. He gave her something faithfully. Sometimes she felt smothered by these gift, but sometimes, it was enough for her to talk to him again.


	18. Disappointed

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

"It's so great to talk to you again..." Bob said, smiling.

She shrugged. "Well... I'm sorry that I've been avoiding you all this time..."

"It's fine." They stood in silence. Neither one of them knew what to say or do. They were afraid of what they might say. Their friendship was on a thin ice and one wrong move would send them toppling over. As strong as their friendship was, there was no telling if they could recover from it.

"Hm..."

"Well..."

"Well?" Gwen asked, looking at him.

He looked at her and then looked away, embarrassed. "I...don't know..."

Gwen sighed and turned away from him. "I'll see you later, then..." She could feel Bob watching her as she walked away. This visit was filled with disappointment. She had hoped that something different would happen, but it didn't. Maybe it never will.


	19. Smile

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

Bob has always said he liked her smile. Whenever she smiled, she lit up the entire room for him and it made his day better. She never understood what he meant by it and she still didn't. All she knew was that whenever she smiled, Bob was happy. Gwen could see it in the way he moved and the skip in his step. Why such a thing made him happy, she didn't know.

So, Gwen would keep smiling. Through all the hardships that themselves and their friendship had gone through. No matter how fake her smiles were, Bob was oblivious to them all. She didn't mind. He was happy and that was all that mattered, no matter how she felt deep down.

While Gwen remained unhappy at certain points of their friendship, she would keep it up for Bob's sake. For he always needed to see her smile every day.


	20. Struggle

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

She did her best to cease struggling every day. It was a challenge, though. Every day she had to remember that Bob loved her more than she loved him; more than just a friend or a brother. This was a hard pill to swallow. Every day, she would have to try and ignore his advance or decide to do something about them. Those were hard choices. With every day she struggled, though, she felt herself getting weaker and weaker. She felt sick to her stomach and her family did what they could for her.

Gwen knew there was nothing they could do, though, without getting physical.

Gwen knew that the only one who could fix this was herself and Bob. Until she found a way to approach the situation calmly, she would struggle every day. It would only be for a while. She was confident that Bob would come around.


	21. I Love You

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

Bob had to say it. He felt the urge to say it and to make sure she heard him. He had said it many times before, but there were times when he felt like she didn't really feel it or understand it. Gwen had scolded him a lot of times though. She didn't want to hear it all the time or not at all. It was hard though. He was an affectionate person. Why did saying "I love you" to the person you loved had to be so difficult? Why did Gwen had to be so difficult to hearing it, too? He thought that life would be simpler and easy if Gwen was more affectionate. She wasn't, though.

For now, Bob would have to say "I love you" quietly to her whenever she walked away from him. For now, it was a quiet sentiment she would never hear.


	22. Trust

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Challenge.**  


* * *

Bob trusted Gwen with all of his heart. He knew that she had difficult time with certain things, so he understood that that wasn't how she was trying to come off as. There were times when she was rude and mean to some of the people in the valley, but he trusted her enough to know that really wasn't her. He trusted her with the animals, especially the horses and Dolly. That was where she shone more than anything. She knew how to deal with the animal far better than she knew how to deal with people. Because of this alone, how could he not trust her? She was kind and caring to one of the important things in the valley and for their way of life.

Bob trusted her with more than just the animals. He trusted her with his heart. If only she took better care of it.


	23. Bully

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Theme Challenge.**  


* * *

Bob knew that some people thought of Gwen as a bully. Perhaps no one in the valley, but there was someone who did. She could be rude, violent, and horribly physical. He knew she didn't mean it, though. He knew that Gwen had her moments, but he also knew that those moments weren't really Gwen. He knew that she was really kind, and caring, and worried a lot about others. She just had a hard time of showing it and when she did, it was usually in the worst way possible. Bob knew better than that, though.

Until he breathed his last breath, Bob would defend Gwen and try to make others see that she wasn't a bully. He understood what it meant when others thought differently when they looked at you. He wanted them to see that Gwen wasn't a bully and that deep down, she was genuinely nice.


	24. Farm

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Theme Challenge.**  


* * *

Sometimes Bob wondered if Gwen liked Toy's farm more than his. He had more land then Bob did. He was able to keep his chickens and cows on the same land while he had to ask Ronald to help him out. Maybe Toy was more experienced in how he raised his animals or there was a tactic that he did that Gwen liked. There were various explanations all in his head. Not a single thought stood out more than the rest. Ever since he saw Gwen walk onto Toys farm, he had been like this.

His chest ached and he hoped that it wasn't the case. They grew up here together. Their whole friendship was based on the farm of the Starling family. Could she really think that it was nothing to her now? With how Gwen was nowadays, it wouldn't surprise him.

He needed to hope. He had to.


	25. Hate

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Theme Challenge.**  


* * *

Despite all that Gwen had done to him, he never found it in him to hate her. Not throughout her constant talks about the boyfriends she had within the city, or all the times she hurt his feelings by not talking to him. When confronted, Bob knew that he should hate Gwen. She had done too many things wrong to deserve another chance and earn his hate.

But he couldn't do it.

Bob wasn't a hateful person just like he wasn't an angry person. It took a lot to make him hate someone and Gwen had never crossed that threshold. Thinking about it, he would never allowed her to. Bob loved Gwen too much to hate her.

And so, despite all the pain he suffered from loving her, Bob held on and never hated her. Gwen was someone he could only love despite all her flaws and that was it.


	26. Worn

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Theme Challenge.**  


* * *

"Bob? Are you alright...?"

Bob smiled at Gwen. She had walked into the shop without his notice. Since it was Tuesday, the carpentry shop was closed. Normally, she would go and tend to the horses as soon as she arrive. Instead, she was here. "I'm fine. Don't worry." He leaned on the counter, resting his forearms on the hard surface. "How are you today?"

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Don't give me that. You don't look okay. Like you're worn out or something."

There was no use hiding it from Gwen. She could read him almost as easily as he could read her. He was worn out from work, but more importantly from her. This relationship they had wasn't enough for him and it was brittle. He couldn't continue to pursue her if he didn't want to lose her.

Who _**wouldn't**_ be worn out from it?


	27. First Kiss

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Theme Challenge.**  


* * *

When he thought back to their first kiss, Bob couldn't help but smile.

Gwen was the one who made the first move. She had been staring at him while he worked. He wasn't sure why, but he did his best to pay it no mind. It was hard when the girl you loved was staring right at you. He did his best and when he was done with work, he approached her about it. Before he could, she made her move.

"Bob! What's that?!"

He startled for a bit and couldn't react before Gwen kissed him on the lips. When she pulled away, she smiled at him. He could feel his cheeks darken to red. He ran off while Gwen giggled and stayed where she was.

That was their first kiss so many years ago. Bob cherished that memory more than anything. If only she could do it again.


	28. Sound

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Theme Challenge.**  


* * *

He loved the sound of her voice. To Bob, it was like hearing a melody. It was clear and beautiful to him. The way certain words rolled off her tongue (like Millie Fleure Napoleon or Bob) were wonderful. If only she would talk more, then he would be in heaven. But they didn't always need their words to communicate with one another. Their friendship had their rocky moments, but the other times were fine. He could spend hours sitting next to her and being at peace. He didn't need anything more than that or the sound of her voice.

Bob was a simple man. Always had been and always would be. If he took solitude in the sound of his friends voice, who was to judge him for it? Certainly not you or I. He was at peace when he heard her speak. In the end, that's all that mattered.


	29. Holding Hands

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Theme Challenge.**  


* * *

"Can I hold your hand?"

Bob's eyes widened at this request and he stared at Gwen. There was a red tint to her cheeks and she couldn't look at him. Was she being serious? He wanted to ask her if she was , but he knew that if he did, she would tell him to forget it and storm off. He wasn't going to let an opportunity like this vanish. He smiled at her and held his hand out. "Sure."

She took his hand and interlaced their fingers together. Although they were wearing gloves and he couldn't feel her skin against his own, he felt like he was in heaven. This was the first act of affection that Gwen had showed him in such a long time. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up from it. He just wanted to hold her hand forever.


	30. Mountain

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Theme Challenge.**  


* * *

He could tell that they were about to climb a mountain in their relationship. It wasn't an easy trip either. It was filled with struggles and frustrations. He could see the top, though. Once he reached the top, he knew it would be a nice and steady roll to the bottom. The bottom, he hoped, would be the continuation of their budding romance. Although Gwen hadn't progressed further than holding his hands, he knew that they could go to the next stage.

Bob had to be patient, though. He couldn't rush in. If he did, he would lose Gwen again. This was something he couldn't allow to happen. Until Gwen was ready to move forward in their relationship, Bob would take it steady. He would do nothing more than hold her hand if she asked to. If that's all she was ready to do, then that was fine with him.


	31. Marriage

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you see in here. Just the plot. Based on HarvestMoonAddict/Regardless1604's ****Rival Couples Theme Challenge.**  


* * *

"Gwen, have you ever thought of getting married?"

She choked on her drink. Lyla patted her back until she finally calmed down. "Married?! Me?!" Lyla nodded and she frowned. "Not really. I mean, I really don't think I'm the wife type."

"Bob doesn't think so."

Gwen knew that this was true. When they were younger, Bob had wanted to marry her. Back then, she promised him that they would. It was nothing more than a silly child promise and held no meaning to her now. It did to Bob and she knew that everyone could see it. "Yeah, but still..."

"There's nothing wrong with considering it. Bob loves you, Gwen," Lyla reminded. "I think you two would be good for one another."

She couldn't marry Bob, though. She couldn't. It would tie her down too much and, honestly, it scared her to death.


End file.
